


In Monochrome

by thalassatides



Category: Persona 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22697311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thalassatides/pseuds/thalassatides
Summary: Long after their adventures in technicolour, Yukiko still finds joy in splashes of monochrome.
Relationships: Amagi Yukiko & Narukami Yu, Amagi Yukiko/Narukami Yu, Amagi Yukiko/Seta Souji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	In Monochrome

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! This was a little something I came up with!

“Happy birthday, Narukami-kun.”

“Yukiko,” he breathed. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Didn’t expect for me to turn up at your school, did you?” The raven-haired woman teased, gripping tightly to her tote bag. In it was his present she had carefully prepared for him before boarding the train to Tokyo. It held all the memories of Inaba and, in a way, she wanted him to remember that Inaba was still a place he could come back to — another home away from home.

“You _did_ say you were going to be busy.”

“Well, I lied.”

“I’m glad that you did,” he said, leaning in closer to bump foreheads with her once they were far away from prying eyes, and then pecking on the lips.

“Thankfully, your school is fairly easy to find. I’ve heard that Tokyo was crowded but it’s a little overwhelming…”

“It’s not surprising. You grew up in the countryside,” Yu remarked. “Now you know why Yosuke was so underwhelmed by everything.”

“Indeed. Everything goes by so fast. Inaba is much slow-paced, in comparison,” Yukiko added on, glancing at the faces that passed them by. Once in a while, she saw smiling faces, but it was mostly the youth.

The adults? Not so much.

It was a lot more depressing here than it was back at home.

Nevertheless, Yu pulled her closer to him, so that they could continue on their merry way. Towers loomed over them, quite unlike Inaba, and the air wasn’t quite as fresh within the city.

“I still very much prefer Inaba. There’s barely time for anything else,” the young man pointed out.

“What did you do after returning home?”

“I decided to work part-time for a bit before diving back into academics,” Yu explained, his hand slipping into hers. “Turns out that I like being a barista.”

“You like anything involving getting to know people.”

“That’s not what my classmates would say,” he answered.

Yukiko frowned, but she supposed she couldn’t blame him. Although he came from the city, he had little friends and barely knew anything about maintaining long-lasting relationships, but he had learned in Inaba.

He was the string that connected all of them together.

“How long will you be here?” he asked.

“An entire week and a half. My parents will be running the inn during my absence. Said I needed to get out there and explore the world.”

Yu chuckled.

“I think that’s their way of telling you to take a break. You don’t have much of those, not when you’re the heiress of the Amagi Inn.”

“It can’t be helped. Customer service is a trying industry. Not only that, we’re competing with other businesses too. It’s a struggle to meet customers’ expectations, especially if they’re from the city area, so we’ve been trying to improve our facilities as well.”

“That’s going to cost more.”

“Short term loss for a long term investment.”

“It’s a risk, but it makes sense. That’s the thing about entrepreneurship.”

“Of course.”

The walk back to Yu’s apartment was a quiet one. Their conversations were quiet, gestures subtle, enough to get the message across but not enough to convey all the feelings that they felt. Despite having been years, it felt like nothing had fundamentally changed.

Yukiko took the time to study the features of her boyfriend.

“I told Rise that I was visiting.”

“I saw the group chat. She has a concert this upcoming weekend.”

“Which is why I thought it was the perfect time to drop by. Besides, it’d be nice to find the others too.”

“So that means everyone else would be coming this weekend?”

“Yes. Naoto said she’ll free up some time in her schedule. Kanji said he doesn’t mind closing shop for one weekend just to join us.”

“Knowing Yosuke, he’ll definitely weasel his way out of work. Chie too.”

That statement caused Yukiko to giggle.

* * *

As expected, nothing was ever out of place when it came to Yu Narukami.

The apartment was small, but it was enough for one person to do what they needed to do, which meant that cleaning was kept to a minimum, considering his hectic schedule. There was a table in the middle, with a stack of books in the corner. He had his own set of stationary meant for home usage only – “I wouldn’t have to risk forgetting my essentials”, he once mentioned over a video call – and a kitchen for himself.

A kitchen was available, mostly if he ever needed to do any cooking, and there was a desk in his room—

“You don’t study in your bedroom?”

He shook his head.

“The bedroom is for sleep and relaxation. Nothing else, nothing less.”

Ah, that explained why the laptop was there.

“Would you like anything to eat? I’ve got some leftover stew if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind anything as long as it’s with you,” she said as her face heated up in embarrassment.

Although they had been dating for close to five years, she couldn’t help but melt at the thought – at the reality – that she was dating such a kind young man. People like him were so rare, so appreciated by those he held dear, and underappreciated by those who let him go.

Yu Narukami was the confident one between the two of them, but these were the times that only she, and she alone, were privy to: Yu Narukami being a blushing mess when it came to her, unfettered by worries and concerns that came from being beyond these four walls.

Just as he set the container of stew on the countertop, Yukiko slid her arms around his waist, taking note of the fact that he was using a different cologne, but there was the faint smell of linen and hojicha lingering deep within the fabric of his clothes.

“I missed you,” was all she offered, before she felt him turning around until she was pressed against his chest.

“Me too.”

She pulled away from him, handing him a wrapped present. Yu blinked once, twice, before finally accepting it.

“Thank you, Yukiko. I’ll open it after we eat, alright?”

She nodded.

As the two of them went about preparing dinner, the dark-haired girl allowed her gaze to linger upon the TV. Memories of neon-coloured surroundings and bodies filled her brain, reminding her of what they had gained and lost.

For all the thrill it offered, it wasn’t worth going through again.

A simple life was all Yukiko could ask for.


End file.
